Cards rally late to win 3-A state soccer title in OT

RALEIGH— Jacksonville’s Cormick Brennan couldn’t believe what had just happened.

Chris Miller-Prep Sports Writer/The Daily News

RALEIGH— Jacksonville’s Cormick Brennan couldn’t believe what had just happened.

Moments after playing his final high school soccer match Saturday night at Dail Soccer Stadium, the senior defender held both his hands on top of his head and told himself that his team was a state champion.

Indeed the Cardinals were after an unbelievable rally that saw Jacksonville get the decisive goal with 3:18 remaining in the second 10-minute overtime from Chris Tziatzos after Brennan’s tying goal with 2:41 left in regulation to defeat Hickory 2-1 in the NCHSAA 3-A championship game.

“It hasn’t set in,” Brennan said. “I don’t know how to put it in words. Everybody believed in each other.”

That despite the Cardinals (26-1) facing some adversity in the title match against the Red Tornadoes (27-2) on N.C. State University’s soccer field.

Jacksonville not only played without senior midfielder Austin Patselas because of too many yellow cards in the playoffs, the Cardinals also saw senior Blake Heatherly leave for the rest of the game following a red card just five minutes into the second half after the official ruled he touched the ball on purpose with his hand near the goal.

All this made the Cardinals title mean so much more for the Cardinals and coach Dave Miller, who also guided Jacksonville to the 2005 state crown as well as eight consecutive trips to the East Regional final.

“Just crazy; the kids kept believing. They believed in each other, and they found a way to get it done,” Miller said. “It shows the type of kids we have, not just this season, but the past eight years. You can’t teach that heart and that desire.”

Tziatzos, a sophomore midfielder, emerged as the championship game’s most valuable player after his goal gave the Cardinals the crown.

The game was tied 1-1 and appeared heading into sudden-death overtime when Jacksonville junior Warren Washington played the ball at the right corner with the mentality of trying to score, despite being held in check most of the game.

However, he crossed the ball to the middle, only to have a defender play it. The defender attempted to kick the ball down the field, but instead kicked it to Tziatzos, who then fired a shot from the 18-yard line and scored.

“I just came through and found a corner,” Tziatzos said.

And Washington was trying to find a teammate inside the 18 when he crossed the ball.

“I was just trying to get it across and serve it to someone,” he said. “Chris put it away.”

Down 2-1, the Red Tornadoes never threatened to score an equalizer as Jacksonville held on for the title.

“We always believed in each other,” Washington said. “We never gave up.”

The Cardinals showed that late in regulation despite being down one goal and being down one man after Heatherly’s red card.

Seemingly, the state title was going to go to Hickory.

“In the back of your mind you are thinking it’s not going to work out,” Jacksonville senior midfielder Aaron Sparks said. “You just have to keep playing.”

That’s what Jacksonville did. The Cardinals got new life when Brennan scored with 2:41 left in regulation. The goal came after junior Ryan Johnson delivered a free kick from about 40 yards out that bounced off Hickory goalkeeper Will Arditti. A scramble for the ball near the goal line ensued before Brennan got his foot on the ball and kicked it in.

“Ryan played it in and it bounced off somebody and I brought it down and just swung. I wasn’t aiming for anything,” Brennan said. “I felt I was close enough to the goal that it wouldn’t rise up over it.”

Regardless of whether it was from him or someone else, Brennan wasn’t surprised his team scored a game-tying goal.

“We knew someone would step up,” he said. “It was me, but it could have been anyone.”

It certainly took a team effort for the Cardinals to rally despite Heatherly’s absence that was created after his hand ball was ruled intentional and set up a penalty kick goal just 4:56 into the second half by Hickory senior Conner Hartman.

Jacksonville’s attack got better late in the second half and in overtime while its defense held tough to keep the Cardinals close. Senior goalkeeper Zach McCracken made 3 saves for the Cardinals, who got strong backfield performances from Brennan and juniors Tyler Waterhouse and Dylan Elliott.

“We switched Michael Chin to the midfield to give us a defensive presence there and in the back we put Tyler, who has given us minutes off the bench,” Miller said. “We had a variety of people back there. It was makeshift. We just threw kids out there.”

Brennan, though, was a little nervous after Heatherly went out. His absence showed at times as Hickory had some chances to extend its lead in the second half. The Red Tornadoes had a shot hit the crossbar and another go just a few feet wide of the goal.

“It was tough because Blake is my safety net,” Brennan said.

But the Cardinals’ supporting cast stepped up, and in the end the Cardinals proved they were the best in the state. Jacksonville has been the top-ranked 3-A team in the N.C. Soccer Coaches Association poll since early October.